More Than They Say
by UmbrellaxStaff
Summary: There have been rumors of a new BOW in the United States. Ada knows everything about it. With tremendous pressure from the US government, as well as from an old lover, more than just the BOW will be revealed. With the truth slowly coming to light, and danger lurking around every corner, who can be trusted? Slight AU, WeskerxAda.
1. Ghosts

Leon looked down at her with disappoint and frustration. While they never had the same motives, he had never questioned what side she was on until now. Ada sat across from him with a smug look. She had been toying with him for hours. She was determined not to speak a word or cooperate with those keeping her in custody. While Leon knew they were reaching a point where they could no longer legally detain her, those above him wouldn't let her go until they got what they wanted. She was making things more difficult for herself and didn't seem to care.

"Ada… You've already admitted that you have knowledge about a new type of BOW. You can't continue to sit there and not explain what it is," he pressed again.

"And I've already told you that there is only one of this BOW in existence, and that it is not a threat to the public. There is no way to spread its virus. It cannot and will not attack innocent people. There's nothing left to discuss."

"I know that's supposed to make me feel better, Ada, but it doesn't. In fact, it just makes this so much more difficult. I can't release you until my superiors feel that you've adequately answered all of our questions. They're growing impatient. I don't know who they'll send in next if you don't just work with me."

Ada shrugged, playing with the chain on her handcuffs. Surely these idiots didn't think that a pair of handcuffs could keep her there? Ada was confident that she could escape whenever the opportunity was right. It wasn't worth having her name and face plastered everywhere though. Ada gave a dramatic yawn and stretched. "Look, I don't care who they send in here. That's all I'm saying on the matter."

Someone knocked on the one way mirror. Leon slammed his fist on the table and glared at Ada. "When this goes south, don't say I didn't try to help you Ada. Your games are exhausting. Frankly, I'm getting sick of them." Kennedy left without another word. Ada sat in the interrogation room for what felt like forever. A clock on the wall showed that only an hour had passed. She wondered what the government was hiding up their sleeve. She was used to someone immediately taking over the questioning after an agent left. Ada rolled her shoulders and continued to stare at the clock. _Tick, tock_. She felt like it was mocking her.

The sound of the door opening caught her attention. She turned her head towards the room's entrance. She failed miserably to keep her emotions in check as the person entered the room. Ada had stood from her seat abruptly, knocking the metal chair to the floor. She deftly moved her fingers and wrists, suddenly dropping her handcuffs to the floor as well. The man continued towards her unfazed. For a moment, Ada glanced over at the mirror. Either Leon knew about this, or there was something else going on. Perhaps the government's idea of a sick joke? Ada looked back over at the new interrogator. He was standing in front of her fallen chair. She couldn't take him in such a small space. Hell, she could barely take him on anywhere.

"You're supposed to be dead."

"And you're supposed to be cooperating. It seems we're all full of surprises today, aren't we Miss Wong?"

Ada continued to hold her ground. "So tell me Albert, when did you start working for the US government? A new alliance, perhaps?"

"Something like that. Now that you've given yourself away and have caused a scene, why don't we take a seat? I have the feeling that you want to hit me."

"You're not entirely wrong…"

Wesker picked up her chair and gestured for her to sit. Ada cautiously followed the tyrant's lead. He was kind enough to push her in before taking his own seat. He folded his hands on the table. With a little less adrenaline running through her veins, Ada could now focus on the man before her. Dark jeans, a tucked in black button down shirt, and iconic black sunglasses. Wesker was severely dressed down for the occasion. If it really was Albert Wesker, anyway.

"You know about the rumored BOW- ah ah, I already know what you've told Leon. I am not Leon. You will answer the questions I ask you. You will answer them truthfully. In return, I will answer your questions."

Ada crossed her arms. She had no reason to trust Wesker, but they had far more history than her and Leon. "This isn't necessary. I have nothing more to say on the subject. There's nothing left to discuss."

Albert raised a brow. "Really? Perhaps you need some convincing. An ultimatum always seemed to work well with you in the past…" Wesker reached in his pocket and produced a photograph. He slid it across the table. Ada picked it up and stared at it for a while.

"It's a little girl. So what?"

Wesker smirked. "Oh you're good. Play dumb Ada. We both know that's your daughter."

"How would you know that? You would have died not longer after she was born." She had given herself away by accident. Ada cursed under her breath.

"Before you try and say you knew that based off an estimation of her age, forget it. We have her records pulled up. It was hard tracing her back to you. You aren't listed as her legal guardian, and you gave a false name at the hospital when giving birth. Your own mother doesn't have the same last name as you, which lead us to believe it was your father's name. Trust me when I say that we know this is your daughter. Although, I'm curious to know who the father is. He was listed as unknown in all of the paperwork. Does Leon know he has a love child, Ada?"

Ada clenched her teeth before speaking, "She is _not_ Leon's daughter. What have you done with Nora?"

Wesker chuckled darkly. "I'm glad we're on the same page. I'll answer your questions when you start answering mine. What do you know about the Phantom virus?"

Ada slowly folded the photograph of Nora again. She needed to choose her words carefully with Wesker. He wasn't as easy to lead on. "There is only one person, one BOW, with the phantom virus. It is invisible to the normal eye. The only time you would know its there is if it shows itself."

"Interesting. How long have you known about this BOW? How much time have you spent with it?" Wesker questioned.

Ada shrugged in thought. "I've spent quite a bit of time with it- not by choice, mind you. I suppose I've been with it since the beginning. I thought it was some form of a joke, yet here we are. I guess there's no denying it's real now." Ada leaned back in her chair, propping her feet up on the table. "Now back to Nora."

"Of course…" Wesker sighed. He adjusted his sunglasses on his face as he took back the picture of Nora. "She's exactly where you left her- with your mother. While I insisted we take them into custody as well, certain people such as Leon didn't feel it was necessary at the moment. However, for their safety, as well as yours, it is imperative that you continue to cooperate. There are many bad people trying to get a hold on this new BOW. What more can you tell me about it?"

"It doesn't attack unless provoked. Aside from that, it is harmless in every sense of the word. It knows the difference between friend and enemy."

"You mean like the A Virus?" Wesker asked curiously.

"Better than that," Ada smirked. "Better than that and the Plaga parasite combined. With a simple command, it can go berserk, or become a hero. It can kill anything in its path or nurture those that need it. It's truly incredible Albert."

Wesker lazily took off his shades. His eyes were narrowed, his face showing little emotion. It was obvious he didn't trust her. "Bullshit," he called.

Ada seemed to take interest in her nails then. Of course he didn't believe her. "It's true. It's smarter and stronger than you'll ever be. Consider it this year's flagship of BOWs."

"How has something this powerful managed to go under the radar for so long. If it has been around for years, why have the rumors started less than six months ago? Surely this is something that would have been gossiped about in any scientific community!"

Ada could see that Wesker was beginning to get frustrated. "What's wrong Albert? Pissed you didn't come up with it first? That you can't find it without me? What does anyone want with this anyway, besides the obvious."

"We're trying to avoid the creation of more just like it. From what it sounds like, it would make the perfect army Ada. Surely you understand that? For someone who has their own motives and opinions, you did not seem dumb enough to allow something like this go unnoticed."

Ada rolled her eyes. "It's not your concern. I've answered your questions. Are we done now?"

"No. You're going to take me to it."

"I beg your pardon?" Ada asked.

Wesker stood from his chair. "You heard me. You and I are going on a trip."

"I can't do that. Wesker, wait!" Ada called, following him to the door. She was gripping the sleeve of his shirt tightly, shaking her head. "Wesker you don't understand. It needs to be left alone. It doesn't deserve what you all will do to it.. What you'll use it for."

Wesker brushed off her hand. "That's not for you to decide, Miss Wong," he replied before leaving her alone in the interrogation room. Ada leaned against the cold, cement wall. She stared at the one way glass again. She was seething on the inside. None of them knew what they were getting into. This would turn out to be a disaster.

* * *

Hey Everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the prologue to a new story I am writing! I haven't posted something on this site in literally years (around 5 I think?) If you enjoy this, feel free to find me on Deviantart. That's where I normally post all of my stories. Let me know if you like it, etc. I don't own any of the characters in Resident Evil except for Nora :)


	2. Welcome Home

Ada couldn't believe she was flying home to Maine with Albert Wesker. It took a lot of convincing, but he finally allowed the trip to take place. Ada said she wasn't sure when she would see her daughter again, and that this visit was something that needed to take place. Albert had not spoken a word to her the entire flight until they were an hour from landing.

"You can't have children, Ada," he said quietly, turning the page of a magazine he had been reading.

Ada looked away from the window to the man sitting beside her. Of all of the things he wanted to discuss, that was the most important? "I guess I was wrong. Weirder things have happened."

"Are you ever going to tell the father? Doesn't he deserve to know?"

"If you're alluding to Leon, it really isn't him. Nora's father doesn't _deserve_ anything- not when he thought he could just up and leave without a word. I knew things were strained, but that was uncalled for. I didn't need him thinking he could just come and go as he chose had he known about it. He's dead to us."

Wesker quietly closed the magazine and placed it in the pouch beside his chair. "He's not dead, though. Interesting. For your safety, perhaps disclosing this information in the near future would be beneficial to us all."

Ada laughed softly, shaking her head in disbelief. "It's almost like you're trying to be nice about it. God, what happened to you? You used to be on top of the world and now you work as a lap dog for a myriad of people."

Wesker didn't dignify her response with an answer. He continued to sit quietly until they landed. Ada found his tantrum to be silly for a man of his age. They had gathered their bags and departed the plane at the Portland Airport. Due to the location of their destination, driving would be the easiest way to travel from there. For the next three hours, they drove north, only stopping once to grab a bite to eat. Wesker continued to keep all chat to a minimum, at least, until they arrived outside of a large cabin-mansion. It was nothing like the Spencer Mansion, but it was quite extravagant for only two people.

"This is it?" Wesker asked, impressed by the design and decor.

Ada smiled, reaching into the backseat of the car for her bags. "This is it. Home sweet home. Try and behave, okay? I get a week with my daughter and I won't have you ruining it."

She quickly departed the car, leaving Wesker to his own devices. He grabbed his single duffle bag from the back seat and headed for the home. He stared up at the large windows of the home with orange light pouring out of them. He frowned, noticing a shadow quickly moving about in the second story halls. It was moving too quickly for it to be a child. Wesker watched as the shadow made it's way down to the lower level where Ada was opening the front door.

"Look out!" Wesker warned, pushing Ada off to the side. Ada let out a groan from the force of Wesker pushing into her. The door had continued to open and a little girl came running out. A girl with the raven hair and blue eyes stared incredulously at the adults. Wesker had landed on top of Ada in a means to protect her. She was shoving him off now, threatening to hurt him if he didn't calm down.

"What is your problem? I know you hate kids but really Albert?!" Ada huffed. The little girl laughed at the adults before giving her mother a hug.

"Mommy! Grandma said you were coming home for a few days, and I was so excited! I mean, I'm a little sad you can't stay longer…. Who is your friend? Are you guys, like, dating?"

Ada laughed and picked her bag up again. "Ha. Hardly sweetie. This is an old friend of mine: Albert Wesker. He's going on my next mission with me. Kind of like a bodyguard. Not that I need one though."

Nora tilted her head in curiosity at Wesker. She noticed his golden-red eyes beneath his shades. She was going to ask him why he would wear them at night, but she guessed he didn't like people staring at his eyes. The two girls waited for Wesker to right himself before continuing inside.

"Mr. Wesker, why did you push mommy down?" Nora asked.

Wesker dropped his bag by the main staircase and approached the living room fireplace. "I saw something running through your house. It was remarkably fast. I could barely keep up with it."

Ada rolled her eyes. "It was probably just one of the cats and you're just overreacting. There's no monsters out here Wesker, trust me."

Wesker clenched his jaw. He knew what he saw regardless of what lies Ada wanted to tell. Nora continued to stare at the man before her in awe. "Are you a good guy? You sure don't look like one."

Wesker glanced at her over his shoulder. "No, I'm not what one may consider 'good'. Any other questions?"

Nora thought for a moment before saying, "What should I call you?"

"I won't be here long enough for it to matter, but Albert is fine," he replied, staring back into the fire.

Nora looked towards the right of the fireplace and watched her grandmother enter the room. She was an older, short woman who carried a beautiful wooden cane. It was used more for looks than necessity, as Gabrielle liked to take walks in the nearby forest. "Nora, why don't you join your mother in the kitchen? Perhaps she can fix you a snack before bed."

The child slipped off of the couch and joined her mother in silence. With the room devoid of young ears, Ellie took her place next to Wesker. "My daughter failed to mention that you would be here. I trust you will let them be for the next few days?"

Wesker took his sunglasses off and set them on the mantle. He rubbed his eyes in a soothing manner. He had not been in such a cold area in years, and the heat of the fire felt good. "I believe Ada said you go by the name Ellie. I would have never guessed you were her mother by looks alone. That must help you deny any relation to her."

"My daughter chose her path long ago. While I certainly don't agree with it, it is something we all must live with. I just wish she could have more time with Nora. They get along so well… such an easy going child. Hardly cried as a baby- I often thought her dead because of the silence."

Wesker glanced over at Ellie. "Do you know who Nora's father is?"

Ellie looked surprised that Wesker would ask. "If you don't know, then you weren't meant to," she quipped, "I can see that it's bothering you though. Regardless of how hard it's been, I'm glad I have a granddaughter. Children are the only hope for this world, you know."

Albert rolled his eyes and headed towards the kitchen. "Please. It doesn't seem like you to be so closed-minded Gabrielle. Children are the beginning of the means to an end." He strolled into the kitchen. It looked like Ada was making blueberry muffins with Nora sitting on the counter beside her. The little girl kept laughing as Ada pretended to not know how to cook. The scene made his stomach turn. Ada was a dangerous woman. She was fire and grace, blood and steel, all wrapped up into one. She was unforgiving yet patient. She was a spy and a mother. In all of his years, he wouldn't have known had he not been asked to help with the issue at hand. He wondered if she knew that he had helped find her and bring her into custody. Had helped dig up information on her family. He was just as shocked as anyone else to learn about Nora.

When Ada noticed him, she stopped stirring the mix. "Nora, why don't you go take your bath and get your jammies on while I put this in the oven. They should be ready in about forty-five minutes, okay?" Ada helped Nora to the ground. She placed a kiss on top of the girl's head before watching her run away. "She's such a good listener, isn't she?" she asked Wesker.

Albert leaned against the counter beside Ada and watched her pour the muffin mix into the metal cups in the baking pan. She was being very careful to not spill any on the edges. "I suppose she is. I guess Ellie has done a good job of raising her thus far."

Ada shrugged, "Better than what I could have done I guess."

"You don't think you would have been a good parent?"

"It's hard to say, especially when I bring over company such as yourself."

Wesker took the emptied bowl from her hands and placed it in the double basin sink. He turned the water on and waited for it to get warm before cleaning out the leftover mix. "You have questions, I'm sure. You always do."

Ada was still waiting for the oven to heat up to the right temperature. She sighed. Wesker wasn't wrong. She had a lot of questions, and they didn't have the time tonight for them all. "Let's start with Africa. You went insane. You tried to wipe out the entire world. Now you're working with, or for, the government? Give me a break."

Wesker chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, I suppose that does seem a little mad. What if I told you that he was a clone? A mere representation of what I could be?"

"I'd say you're crazy… but cloning is definitely a thing."

"Precisely. I had been working with clones during our absence apart. I thought I had gotten it right, but it seems that the T-Virus becomes too unstable over time. A person is more than just their genetics. I had created a serum that helped stop the destabilization. But, as you know, too much or too little causes drastic side effects."

"That doesn't explain how he got to Africa, though," Ada pressed, "Or any of his memories."

"Yes, the memories were a tricky part. My sister Alex was able to help me with that. He wasn't a perfect copy of me, but he was very close. Sadly, you weren't The Family's only target in past years. They had gotten a hold of my clone, convinced him that he was the superior version of me, and helped set him up with TriCell. Excella nor anyone else was smart enough to figure it out. Knowing how volatile he was, I allowed him to go. In the end, he helped me take down one of my biggest competitors. It has allowed Umbrella to flourish in the background."

The oven began beeping, alerting Ada that it was time to put the muffins in. She carefully set the pan in, and set a timer for twelve minutes on the nearby microwave. She was trying to process everything he had told her during that time. While it was possible that Wesker was lying, it was also a plausible story. A crazy clone trying to destroy everything wasn't something new for her to wrap her mind around- Carla Radames had been the same way. While there were some things that still needed explaining, they could wait a little longer.

"And where does Umbrella stand right now? Shouldn't you be spending the rest of your life in a prison somewhere far away from society?"

Wesker chuckled at her and shook his head. "Yes, dear heart. Please tell me of a place where you can put me that I can't get out of. Currently, Umbrella is working on being on the right side of history. In fact, I plan on us being backed by the UN sometime in the near future."

It was Ada's turn to laugh. "Backed by the UN? Why in the world would they work with _you_ of all people?"

"You see," Wesker began, taking out his cell phone to answer a text, "The BSAA is collapsing. The UN can't continue to shovel money into it. The BSAA isn't producing the long-term results that countries are looking for. More and more companies are delving into the world of bio-terrorism. More soldiers are dying every day in order to combat the growing threat. I'm not destroying the world- I'm saving it. Why send in men and women that have something to lose, when you can use clones to accomplish the same task?"

"I think quite a few people may find an issue with that ethically. Just because you don't see them as people doesn't make that true," Ada pointed out.

Wesker nodded and sighed. "Yes. That is a constant battle that I seem to be fighting. Regardless of the data, the results, the… well, everything, the UN can't get over that one small detail. It's easier to think of them more as robots than people, as that is a more accurate description."

The timer on the microwave began beeping, alerting Ada that the muffins were ready. She turned the timer off before grabbing some oven mitts on the nearby counter. Ada slipped them on and pulled the pan of muffins from the oven. The aroma of fresh blueberry muffins filled the kitchen. It smelled delicious. Ada set the hot pan on top of the glass stove and allowed them to cool.

"Are you going to want one?" she asked Wesker as she took off her mitts.

Wesker seemed to be debating on whether he wanted one. "I'll pass. Perhaps in the morning."

Nora ran into the kitchen right on time. She was wearing pastel green pajamas that were covered in drawings of planets. She was carrying a stuffed moose with her. "Are they ready mama? I could smell them from upstairs!"

Ada nodded and picked the little girl up. She set her on the counter between her and Wesker. "They sure are. Let's give them another few minutes to cool down, though. We don't want to get burned."

Wesker cleared his throat and stood up straight. "You ladies have fun. I'm going to make myself at home. Ada, let me know if you need anything."

The girls watched Wesker leave the kitchen. Ada had mixed emotions about their conversation. Was he telling her the truth about everything? It was hard to say. With no inside knowledge on the subject, she couldn't effectively fight him. Instead, she decided that her best course of action was to enjoy her time with Nora. They didn't have long to be together, and Wesker being around only increased the danger they were all in.


	3. Accidents Happen

Despite their promises to be open, he knew Ada was hiding something from him. Something big. Something important. But why, he had yet to figure out. He was currently on the phone with Leon. The agent was wearing on Wesker, and he couldn't wait to be done with the whole mission. Leon meant well, but the man just didn't seem to get it.

"I understand that time is of the essence. I think you forget that this trip was approved by your superiors, Kennedy. I am here because all of you agreed to let her see her daughter. Had you done what I suggested, we would have already had this BOW locked up in the New York facility."

Wesker was severely displeased with it all. With Leon clinging to his back and Ada keeping herself two steps ahead, the tyrant was being pulled in too many directions. He had been promised almost absolute freedom during the mission, yet he was facing multiple calls a day from everyone's favorite fop. He would have some choice words to give the man if they ever met face-to-face again. Leon was just as annoyed with Wesker. In reality, Leon was bitter that he hadn't been sent to go with Ada. He felt that he knew her better, and was overall much better at handling kids. He had only gotten to see a single photo, but he swore he saw a certain resemblance to the little girl that he just couldn't pinpoint yet.

"Look, just see if you can cut the trip short. Ada doesn't need a whole week to see Nora. If she's that worried about her safety, we can bring her into custody."

Wesker kept himself from laughing at the agent. "Leon… have you ever stopped to think that perhaps we are the ones that Ada is worried about? She was promised a week with her daughter. Is it eating you up that much inside that I get to spend time with them? Surely you haven't sunk so low to put your feelings above the priority of the mission?"

"It's not that kind of mission," Leon responded. "I don't trust you. Who knows what kind of secrets and lies you're telling them. I don't believe you're out to help anyone but yourself. This is a perfect opportunity for you to get first access to the BOW and take it before anyone realizes what's going on."

Wesker rolled his eyes. "Please, Kennedy. Your paranoia is rather unbecoming of a so-called professional such as yourself. It's rather disappointing to see you in such a state. Either way, I'll submit my daily report tonight."

Wesker hung up on the agent without a second thought. He was tired of Leon and his accusations. His business was his own, and no amount of pressing from Leon would change that. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and walked back into the loud gymnasium. Nora participated in gymnastics about an hour away from their home. According to Ellie, she practiced up to three times a week at the gym, and often tried different stretches at home. The seven-year-old was currently jumping on a trampoline while listening to her instructor. Ada was talking to a group of other moms. Ellie was not feeling well and had opted to stay home.

Wesker approached Ada slowly. The group of women reminded him of hens. One of the mothers couldn't help but stare at Wesker as he came over.

"Oh? Are you Ada's boyfriend?" she asked, holding out her hand. "I'm Samantha. My son practices with Nora sometimes."

Wesker gave her hand a small shake and nodded his head. "I'm Albert Wesker. It's a pleasure. And yes, the one and only."

Samantha gave Ada a knowing look. "I'm glad that we finally got to meet you. I don't want to be rude, but why the sunglasses? We're inside, and it's getting dark out."

Ada cleared her throat and stepped into the conversation. "Albert has an eye condition. He's very sensitive to light. After an accident in his lab, it's just never been the same."

Samantha and the other moms all gave Wesker their condolences. Wesker rolled his eyes and did his best to hold back an annoyed sigh. While it was a good cover, the details weren't necessary.

"Would you ladies mind if I borrowed Ada for a moment? It's a private matter I'm afraid. I promise to bring her right back."

Wesker grabbed Ada's hand and led her to the far side of the gym behind some bleachers. Ada could tell he was at least mildly annoyed. Whether it was with her or someone else, she couldn't be sure. She got the feeling she would find out soon, though.

"Do you want to guess who called me again?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Ada rubbed the bridge of her nose with her fingers. "Leon..?"

"Precisely. He wants to cut the trip short. This is the third time he's asked. I have a feeling he is going to continue pressing his superiors until something is done.I need any information you can give me so that I can calm him down."

Ada crossed her arms and smirked at him. "Oh, I know! Why don't you tell him that we're engaged? Maybe that will make him stop calling. I mean, we're just moving so quickly and all."

Wesker shook his head. "We're not actually a couple. Speaking of which, why do they even think that?"

"Well… I've been gone a while. Sam and the rest are under the impression that I work out of the country a lot, which is why Nora lives with my mother. The last time I was here I sort of had a boyfriend. Sam figured it out, and now she thinks that you're him."

"Wait, hold on," Wesker frowned, "You were seeing someone? Who?"

Before Ada could respond, Wesker's phone was going off again. He glanced at the caller ID. The knuckles on his free hand cracked from the tightness of the fist he was making. Ada grabbed the phone from his hand and answered it.

"Leon, is there something I can do for you?"

Leon seemed surprised that Ada would answer Wesker's phone. "A-Ada? I need to talk to Wesker."

"He's busy at the moment."

"With what?"

"He's helping Nora do a backflip on the trampoline. We're at her gymnastics lesson, and you're very disruptive."

"Ada, please! I wouldn't call if it weren't important. I hate to ask this of you- but I think you should cut your trip short. This BOW needs to be contained immediately… It's putting everything at risk."

"Relax Leon. It's only been two days. You guys can wait for a few more. The fact that you even mentioned cutting my trip short tells me where your priorities lie. That's good to know."

"Ada wait!" Click.

Wesker's jaw was clenched tightly. Were they not in such a public area, he would have lost his temper more freely. He would have to take his anger out on something else until they were in a more private setting, though. Ada was holding his phone out to him, and he took it back.

"That was extremely unprofessional of you, Ada. You're here by the grace of the government. I don't like this any more than you do, but that doesn't mean we get to toy with others for our enjoyment."

Ada rolled her eyes. To her, Wesker was too serious for his own good. In her opinion, she didn't cause any damage. Wesker hated getting calls just as much as her, so what was the issue? Ada was prepared to snap back at Wesker, but the sound of gasps grabbed her attention. Ada frantically searched for Nora. Her stomach dropped to see her daughter on the floor crying. The instructor was motioning for Ada to come over.

This was not how Ada wanted to spend her evening. She ran over to Nora and crouched on the floor next to her. "What happened? Is it bad?"

The instructor seemed unsure of herself as she examined Nora's ankle. "I could have sworn that she broke it. I heard the snap and everything… But the bone seems intact. Maybe it's a bad sprain?" She shook her head in disbelief. "She needs a doctor. Should I call an ambulance?"

Ada shook her head as she gently touched Nora's ankle. The little girl had a few large tears rolling down her cheek. She didn't seem to be in a lot of pain, although it was entirely possible that she was just trying to be tough. "Don't call anyone. I can take her to the emergency clinic. We'll get her checked out, right baby?"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Wesker bent over and carefully began to examine Nora's ankle. It was swollen, but he didn't believe it was broken. "I suppose we should take her to a clinic just to be safe, but I don't believe it's broken."

Ada slowly stood up and caressed Nora's cheek. "Yeah… let's get your ankle looked at. Thanks, Meghan. I'll keep you posted."

The three quickly left the gym and went to Wesker's car. Wesker tucked Nora into the backseat of his Mercedes before getting into the driver's side. Ada texted her mother to inform her of the situation. As Wesker started the car, he asked Ada where the closest clinic was.

"Just take us home," she replied, not looking up from her phone.

"I'm sorry? Your daughter has a sprained, and possibly a broken ankle. She'll need pain medication, x-rays…. things I can't give her."

Ada glared at the Tyrant. "Do you think this is the first time this has happened? I know what I'm doing Albert. It's funny how you think you're such a great parent, seeing as how Jake turned out and all."

Wesker clenched his jaw and put the car in drive. He could hear Nora sniffling in the backseat as they made their way back home. He couldn't fathom why Ada was choosing to be so stubborn. Albert managed to cut their drive down to thirty minutes. Once home, Ada picked her daughter up and brought her inside. Wesker went to follow Ada upstairs but stopped at the base of the stairs. Nora wasn't his child, so why the concern? He pinched the bridge of his nose in thought. He tilted his head back and slowly breathed out. He needed to control himself. He was overstepping his grounds for no apparent reason. He didn't owe these people anything. He had a mission to complete, and that was it. Being here was just a diversion on Ada's part.

Regardless, as Wesker traveled down the hallway, he hadn't realized how close his room was to Nora's. Ada had failed to give him a proper tour of the home since their arrival. Wesker was intrigued with the decorations in the little girl's room as he walked in. The ceiling had several dozen glow in the dark stars. In one corner of the room were a couple of dolls and toy cars. Nora seemed to have an interest in just about everything. She also had many toy dinosaurs wearing tiaras. Perhaps the most interesting of all was her collection of books. There were a few children's books on the shelf, but they were overshadowed by that of much more long novels. Some had dragons on the front cover; the others had rings and castles. Undoubtedly, she wasn't old enough to understand such complex books? Then again, maybe Ellie or Ada read them to her.

Ada glared at Wesker with annoyance. "What do you want? I already told you she's fine."

Wesker took his shades off and placed them on Nora's nightstand. "Yes, you do seem to keep telling me that. However, I think by now you should realize that I don't believe you. At least let me check out her ankle one more time."

Ada rolled her eyes and quickly got off of the bed. "Whatever. I'm going to get some painkillers."

Nora was lying on top of her bed, quietly watching the Albert. She didn't take her eyes off of Wesker as he took place at the foot of her bed. Wesker had said he wasn't a good guy, but surely a bad guy wouldn't check to see if she was okay. Wesker gently touched her ankle. He felt the tendons and applied pressure to different areas.

Nora winced a few times and hissed when the touches hurt. He would look up at her when she made a noise. "That hurts… right there?" he asked, pressing again. Nora clenched her jaw and nodded.

"Yeah. Only when you press though."

"Mmmhmm…" Wesker replied, turning his attention back to her foot. "And how about anywhere else?"

Nora shook her head no.

Albert sighed and gave the top of Nora's foot a gentle pat. "Take the medicine your mother gives you. It will help you feel better."

"Is it broken, Albert? I don't want to make mommy have to take me to the doctors again."

Wesker shook his head. "No, I suppose it was a sprain after all. You gave everyone quite the scare tonight, though. You'll have to be more careful next time, okay?"

Wesker stood up as Ada returned. "Perhaps you were right, after all, Ada. I apologize for any intrusion, but little bones aren't as strong as ours." Without another word, he left the room. Ada gave him an unusual look. What was wrong with Wesker tonight? Did he know something that she didn't?

When Ada went down to the kitchen the next morning, Wesker was already sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee. He was reading the news on his laptop, continually scrolling around and clicking on different articles. He paid Ada no mind.

His silence bothered her. They were almost halfway through their visit, and this was the quietest he had been. Ada took the time to place bread in the toaster before making herself a cup of coffee. To her dismay, the carafe was empty. She shot Wesker a dirty look even though he still wasn't looking at her. Albert sure made himself at home in no time.

"Do you really need to be here? Can't you stay in a hotel nearby or something?" she asked as she searched for the butter in the fridge.

"You sound bitter this morning. Did you not sleep well?" he asked.

Ada pulled the butter out of the fridge and returned to the toaster. "I slept fine, thanks. It's you that's been acting weird lately. Talk to me."

Wesker finished the last of his coffee before shutting his laptop. "Talk to you? About what?"

Ada shrugged. She reached down to her right and opened a drawer full of cutlery. She rummaged through some knives before pulling out a butter knife. "I don't know. You? It's nice that I get to spend so much time with Nora, but you and I used to be close, too. And don't talk about business or the upcoming mission. That's not what I mean."

Wesker rubbed his jaw, feeling the slight prick of stubble beneath his fingertips. He mentally noted to shave today before it got any worse. "Ada, while I appreciate the sentiment, I'm not sure that this is an appropriate conversation. We're only here together on the chance that I'm still alive and you have gotten yourself into some trouble. Once everything is said and done, we won't see each other again."

Ada frowned. She could hear her toast pop up, causing her to jump a little. "I don't understand. I thought you came along for more than just this BOW… I know its been years, and we've both changed, but-"

"But you thought that there was a chance, even a small one, that we would be walking away together? Ada, you and I don't trust each other, and I doubt we ever really did. I am here on business, and business only. You are extremely mistaken if you thought we would end up back here to play house." Albert paused and pinched the bridge of his nose. His irritation was clear, but he was trying to keep himself composed. "Nora isn't even my child. What reason do I have to come back here and raise her?"

Ada clenched her jaw, looking away in shame. Now that he had laid it all out before her, she guessed he was right. They were two very different people in two very different worlds now.

Wesker sighed and stood up. He came off harsher than he intended, but his feelings remained the same. He couldn't mix business and pleasure with her anymore. "Look… Ada…" he said softly. Albert reached out to touch her shoulder, but she shrunk away. "Her birth father is still alive, right? When everything's said and done, why don't we find him? I'll give you my full assistance."

Ada forced a laugh before looking up at the ceiling. She quickly wiped away any tears that wanted to escape. "Find Nora's father? That's pointless. I know exactly where he is. Let's just… forget I said anything, please?"

Albert agreed to request and respectfully took his leave. He decided that space would be the best thing for them right now, as well as for the rest of the trip. As he made his way to his room, he stopped outside of Nora's room. Her door was wide open, and he could see her playing on the floor. She was playing some word game on a tablet while occasionally take a break to color in a book. Without looking up, she addressed him. "You made mommy sad, didn't you?"

He was surprised she even knew. "I'm sorry? Were you listening to our conversation just now?"

Nora looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. I know I shouldn't… but you remind me of daddy."

Albert looked to his left and right before stepping in her room. "Nora," he said gently, "What do you know about your father?"

Nora shrugged and turned back to coloring. "Only that mommy calls him a bastard. She says the only good thing he ever gave her was me."

His expression was somber as he listened. A bastard? Well, that surely narrowed down the list. "Does she ever describe him in other ways? Like what he looked like?"

Nora closed her eyes and scrunched her face in thought. "Um. I think she mentioned that he was tall once, and had pretty eyes like yours."

Wesker didn't like where the conversation was heading. "Like mine, huh? Now that's silly Nora. No one else in the world has my eyes. Have you ever seen someone with glowing eyes?" He had hoped that by suggesting against it, Nora would realize what she was saying. Was she trying to allude that he was her father? The notion was ridiculous. The age didn't match up unless she wasn't Ada's child.

"Well not yours exactly, but you do have pretty eyes. Don't you think so?" she asked.

"Sure, if you say so. Nora, do you think you could do me a favor?" he asked. "But we have to keep it a secret from Ada."

"Why should I help you? That would make mommy sad," Nora reminded him. "And what do I get out of it?"

She may have only been seven, but Nora sure seemed to know about bargaining. He didn't think he would have to give something in return for her cooperation. Doing something such as that was not his style. He took a minute to figure about what little girls liked. "We could go shopping?" he suggested. "I think Ada mentioned that there were some shops in the downtown area. I'll get you anything you want."

Nora narrowed her eyes at him. "Anything? You're not lying?"

He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Ah. Just like your mom. Truly, anything Nora. All you have to do is let me rub a cotton swab in your mouth."

She gave him an odd look. "Like at the doctors? Why would you want to do that?"

"Well…" he began slowly. "I'm a doctor, too. The swab lets me run some more tests to make sure that you are all healthy. It won't hurt, and it only takes a minute. It's completely painless Nora. What do you say?"

Nora seemed hesitant to help him. Why give her anything she wanted for such an easy task? The trade-off didn't make sense to her. "Okay. I'll do it. But you have to promise to stay in with me today. I want you to play with mommy and me."

Wesker's face dropped. Play with her? Oh no. Albert Wesker did not play with children. Furthermore, he did not play with ex-lovers or enemies. He had no imagination, no sense of what to do in those situations. "Are you sure I can't just buy you something? Perhaps some new toys, or clothes? Maybe you'd like some candy or ice cream?"

Nora shook her head and crossed her arms. "No. We play. Now do we have a deal or not?"

Wesker was rubbing his temples in frustration. A part of him just wanted to pin her down and take the damn sample himself. However, Ada would surely find out about it, and all hell would break loose. That was another battle in itself, and one he wasn't ready for quite yet. He heard her sigh and decided he had no other choice. Albert held out his hand, which was quickly held by Nora.

"Deal," he replied. He decided he would allow himself to be in a sour mood until their playdate had begun.


	4. Winter Wonderland

At first, Ada had thought that it was an elaborate joke. Both her daughter and Wesker stood before her, looking as though they were ready to beg. Ada couldn't begin to guess what had transpired during her hour away from them. However, Nora was clean and ready to start the day. At least it was one less thing for Ada to worry about. She glanced over at Albert again. He had a stern expression on his face, and his eyes were covered up by his sunglasses.

"You're not serious, are you? Albert do you even know what playing pretend and what-not is? It requires dressing up, painting, tea parties… probably some dinosaurs in Nora's case. Wouldn't you rather go read a book or something?"

Nora looked up at Albert with a nervous expression. Would her mother catch on to them? Ada always seemed to know everything. She was bound to find out about the swab test eventually, right? Albert didn't flinch under Ada's hard gaze. "I assure you I know exactly what I am getting into. I'm sure a little play-time will not be the end of me."

Ada bit the inside of her cheek in thought before turning towards her daughter. Ada crouched down in front of her, halfway defeated. "Nora, I know you want him to play with us. I don't know why, but I need you to know that this isn't a good idea. I'm here to spend time with you, not with Albert. We could put on our gear and play in the snow. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Nora's face lit up with excitement. "Let's all go out and play! We can have a real snowball fight, can't we mom?!"

Ada didn't think her face could sink any lower. It seems that her idea only made the situation worse for herself and Albert. She took a deep breath and stood back up. Ada pushed her bangs out of her face before settling back on Albert. What could go wrong? They were two adults that were perfectly capable of playing nice if required. Besides, with Albert clearly over his attraction of her, it should only make things easier, or so she thought. He would get bored of them eventually, and hopefully, find something else to do.

"Well, Albert? I don't know why you want to do this either, but fine. We can all play together." Ada watched Nora scream and cheer as she ran out of the kitchen. Ada rolled her eyes and jabbed her finger into Albert's firm chest. "Don't get too comfortable, got it? This doesn't change anything."

"Why would it?" Wesker teased. The two went to find Nora to dress for the snow. Boots, jackets, and snow pants were required since the temperatures were bitter outside. "She came to me, Ada. She's innocent in all of this."

Ada didn't believe him for a minute. Together, they all helped each other get dressed. Ellie had stopped by momentarily to check up on them. Nora asked if she would go out to, but Ellie declined. She had said that her old bones didn't play nice with the cold anymore. She did promise that there would be treats and drinks waiting for them when they returned, though. Wesker watched Ellie continue down the hall towards the laundry room. Ada's mother was conveniently absent during their stay so far. He made a mental note to report on it later, just in case something else was going on. Surely Ada and her mother weren't planning something behind his back?

He wished he had more time to ponder the notion, but Nora was pushing him to go out the back door. He trudged out into the knee-high snow, making a path for the women behind him. After walking a short distance, he turned to Nora for guidance. "Well?" he asked. "What shall we do first?"

Nora thoughtfully ate a large handful of snow. Her face was already red from the cold, and her nose started to run. "I want to build an igloo! I watched a show once on the TV about people that live in igloos!"

Ada agreed that building a snow fort was a fun idea. Together, they began to clear away some snow and tried to pack it into semi-rectangular shapes. Since no one knew quite what they were doing, their attempts quickly became futile. The walls of the igloo-fort would randomly collapse, leaving whatever unsuspecting victim under it buried in snow. This had happened to Wesker quite a few times. The lack of progress that the three of them were making frustrated him. He found himself often thinking if the deal he made with Nora was worth it. He could have easily taken a sample of her DNA while she was sleeping. Regardless, what was done was done.

Wesker finally finished brushing snow off of himself for the fourth time that morning. As he stood there in the morning chill, Wesker listened to the world around him. The outdoors here was peaceful. The gentle blowing of the wind, coupled with the rustling of trees would be relaxing under different circumstances. The idea made him snap back into reality. It was far too quiet for a child to be playing outside with him. Before he realized it, a hard piece of snow hit him in the back of the head. He quickly brushed off the remnants and spun around.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he growled at the girls. Ada and Nora were standing a little ways away. Nora's arms were full of snowballs, and Ada was gently tossing one up and down in her hand.

"We decided that igloo life wasn't for us. However, beating up bad guys is more our style. And as far as we can tell, you're the only villain for miles." Ada threw another snowball. Wesker easily dodged her throw this time.

"Knock it off or else I'm going inside," he warned.

Nora shook her head vigorously. "You can't! You promised to play with us. It's wrong to go back on your promises!"

Wesker adjusted his shades. He didn't think a child could be so adept at blackmail. What an unfortunate position he had put himself in. Albert decided that he would have to give more credit to Nora from now on. Who knew what the little girl was fully capable of, especially when blackmail wasn't beyond her? "Fine, fine…" he sighed. "So you want a fight, do you? I suppose I have been a little… restless."

Ada visibly gulped. Nora squealed with excitement. "Come get me!" she taunted.

In a blink of an eye, Wesker had run across the yard. The amount of speed and force from his movement caused snow to fly up into the air. It was gorgeous as it fell to the earth again. Wesker had an arm wrapped around Ada, restraining her against his chest. As Ada struggled to get free, Wesker looked around carefully. Where did Nora go?

Wesker was hit on the side of his face with another snowball. There was much more force in this throw than before. He turned towards his left and spotted Nora. She had another snowball aimed at him.

"Let mommy go, or I'll throw it! This is your only warning," Nora told him.

Wesker raised a brow in curiosity. "You're quite fast, Nora. How in the world did you get all of the way over there without me knowing?"

Nora shrugged a little. "I'm in my element I guess. You're at a disadvantage here. Don't forget that."

Wesker pushed Ada into the pile of snow in front of them. Even faster than before, he ran towards Nora. Once again, his face was met with a snowball. The throw was dead-on and caused his sunglasses to get knocked off of his face. His nose twitched with anger. What the hell was going on here? He looked around him to see nothing but snow where Nora had been. _Impossible_.

He heard Nora blowing raspberries behind him. There was no way he could have missed her twice. He would have seen her move. Would have _heard_ her move through the snow. It was hard and crunched under feet, yet for Nora, he heard nothing. He looked over at Ada who was laughing and brushing snow off her chest and pants. "Quick, isn't she? Nora really knows how to be a hunter, especially in this much snow."

He sneered at her comment. "Hmph. She's better than you, that's for sure." Wesker was about to make another dash for Nora when his cell began to ring. He pulled the device out of his pocket and looked at the caller ID. "I need to take this," he said quickly, already making his way towards the house. He ignored the girls' calls for him to come back. Once he was inside the warmth of the house, Wesker answered the phone. "I'm glad you called. I have a task for you."

Leon was surprised to hear such a thing. "I'm sorry, what? That's not why I called-"

"I know," Wesker said quickly. He attempted to keep his voice low as he didn't know where Gabrielle was. "I got a sample of her DNA. I planned on sending it out in the mail. We're only here a few more days, and that's all the time you need to figure out who the father is."

Leon was silent for a moment. "How did you get a DNA from Nora?" he asked slowly.

Wesker rolled his eyes. "It's a cheek swab Leon, Jesus! I didn't cut her open or anything. Now, can you do that?"

He sighed. Leon was probably just as desperate as Wesker to know who Nora's mysterious father was. While going behind Ada's back didn't feel right, he just kept telling himself that it was for national security purposes. "Yeah. Now you need to do me a favor. We received information from a reliable source that The Connections is also searching for our BOW. If they get a hold of it, who knows what they can do? Frankly, it's not a risk I'm willing to take."

Wesker frowned. He had heard about the mysterious group that had a part in the Baker affair. If they were involved, it made matters more difficult. "Are they aware of Ada and her knowledge on the subject?"

"Yes, we believe so," Leon said. "Even if they don't, it's safer to assume that they do. Just keep an eye out while you guys are still there. We don't want you to give away your position."

Albert pinched the bridge of his nose. He had a bad feeling about all of this. They were in the perfect place for an ambush. Limited weapons, no witnesses, and only two capable agents of fighting. The back of his mind screamed for him to move. "Maybe we should look into witness protection for Nora and her grandmother. Once Ada and I leave, there's no guaranteeing that they're safe. The Connections could come right in an hold them as leverage."

Leon rubbed his chin and took a seat in his desk chair. "Yeah… yeah! That's a good idea. I'll make some calls and see what we can do. We could probably time the extraction for the same time as yours to reduce confusion and costs."

"I don't care how it gets done, just do it," Wesker huffed. The tyrant hung up the phone and slipped it back into his pocket just as Ada and Nora came in. The girls were laughing and shaking the snow off of themselves.

"Would you like some hot chocolate, Albert? I can make us some if you and Nora put our wet clothes in the laundry room."

Wesker accepted her offer. He took a moment to help Nora get out of her snowsuit and warm her tiny hands. Afterwards, he took off his jacket and gathered Ada's wet clothes from her. Together, He and Nora traveled down the long hall to the laundry room. It was quite large and spacious. There was even a bar to fold clothes on. He helped Nora put their clothes in the dryer and turn it on. "I think 45 minutes is a good start, don't you?" he asked her.

Nora nodded her head. "Yeah. Thanks for playing with us today. I had a lot of fun."

"Hmmm. It's not that I really had a choice, did I?" he asked.

Nora giggled and grabbed his hand. "When you and mommy are done with your job stuff, are you both coming back? I don't want mommy to go away anymore."

Wesker picked Nora up and easily carried her on his hip. "Ada will come home, yes. Not me though, Nora. This isn't my home." Albert's sternness on the matter kept Nora quiet. She knew a losing battle when she saw one.

"That's okay. You can always come and visit us. Maybe we'll get to play in the snow together again one day."

Albert sat Nora down on one of the bar stools in the kitchen. "Maybe," he responded as he walked over to Ada. He leaned over her shoulder and watched her make some of the hot chocolate. "No marshmallows in mine, please."

Ada pursed her lips as she held a handful of rainbow marshmallows over his mug. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you. Did you say _more_ marshmallows?" Ada suddenly dropped the marshmallows into his mug and reached to get another handful. "I can do more. Not that all of this sugar is good for you."

A part of him wanted to throw her over his shoulder and haul her off. He hated it when she was coy with him. He knew better, though. Feelings like that would only get him in trouble. Albert couldn't help but notice, however, how much fuller Ada seemed. _Baby weight?_ He thought to himself. She wasn't out of shape, but her hips seemed fuller than they had years ago. Wesker watched Ada toss more marshmallows in his mug. He growled at her and nudged her out of the way. "I said that's enough Ada," he huffed. Wesker grabbed his mug and retreated towards the bar. Ada followed him to give Nora her cup.

"Wait!" Nora exclaimed before anyone could take a sip. "I propose a… a toast."

Ada and Wesker looked at each other a shrugged. "To what, my pearl?"

Nora carefully raised her hot mug. "To snowy days… and family."

Ada carefully clinked her glass against Nora's. Even Albert joined in on the toast. Regardless if he disagreed, why spoil it for a child he hardly knew?


	5. Ashes to Ashes

The ashes were still falling around them when help finally arrived. Red was splattered across the snow on the ground. The new flakes that fell were helpless against the color, and quickly melted into the warmth of the liquid. Wesker stared at the house in front of him. He had lost his shades sometime during the fight. Without them, he could see how truly intense the flames were. Just a few seconds longer and Ada would have been burning with everything else. It would be an awful way to go. Everything they needed was going up in flames now. He wanted to kick himself for not being informed of the situation sooner. Once Ada woke up, hell would break loose.

The tyrant ran a shaky hand through his blonde hair, leaving thin blood stains behind. Everything had happened so quickly. Where did they go wrong? He clenched his jaw as he felt a hand on his shoulder. His heart was still racing and his adrenaline was still pumping. He hadn't let his guard down just yet.

"Wesker… What the fuck happened here?" Leon asked in disbelief.

The tyrant slowly shook his head. "The Connections came. They…" Wesker paused and glanced at Ada's unconscious body next to him. He didn't want to risk saying anything if she was awake. "Nora was shot on sight. They took her body… and I'm not quite sure why, as they left Ellie's body behind. It doesn't make sense, Leon. What would they want with Ada's daughter? Without her being alive, there's no leverage. Unless they plan on using the body as ransom."

Leon stepped around Wesker and crouched next to Ada. Agents, paramedics, firefighters, and a plethora of other individuals were running by them. Some were desperately trying to put out the house fire, while others were trying to force Wesker to get examined. The onsite doctor was a stubborn, older woman who wouldn't take no for an answer. Albert attempted to calmly explain that Ada was in need of more immediate attention than he. Leon helped Wesker place Ada onto a gurney so she could be treated for her injuries. As Albert turned to look back at the house one last time, another explosion occurred. It caused the last of the windows to shatter. This caused more yelling and quicker reaction times from the onsite help.

"We have to go, Albert. There's nothing left for us here. We'll go to the nearest headquarters and figure out a plan from there. It's the best we can do until Ada wakes up. Besides, there's a ton of paperwork that we'll need to fill out."

Wesker nodded solemnly. Leon was right for once. There would be several reports that needed to be filled out. If only he had- wait! Wesker slowly reaching into his pants pocket and pulled out a bloody tissue. Leon gave the tyrant a confused look. "Do I even want to know what that is?"

"It's Nora's blood," Wesker said slowly.

Leon narrowed his eyes. Despite the raging house fire, it felt like it was getting colder outside. "And what do you propose we do with that? That won't tell us where Nora is."

"Ah. How quickly we forget, eh Leon?" Wesker murmured. "I have an Umbrella facility a couple of hours south from here. Get your team to meet us there. I do believe we will finally get the answers we've all been waiting for."

Wesker boarded a chopper with Ada shortly thereafter. They, as well as a small medical team, took their leave to the Umbrella facility in Essex, Vermont. Once reaching the facility, it was time for he and Ada to go their separate ways. She was in desperate need of medical attention, and he had to begin the blood analysis on Nora. He looked over at the nearby clock on the wall, his mind going a mile a minute. If he began now, he could hopefully have some sort of result produced by the time Leon and the rest of the government crew arrived.

He began threw on a pair of rubber gloves and busted out a series of vials and mixes. Wesker requested that his project take precedence over everything else in the lab. In mere minutes, his staff was booting specially designed programs, testing machines, and various other computers. As Wesker carefully extracted parts of the bloody tissue into individual test tubes, a little girl's voice was heard in the room.

"We were not expecting your arrival so suddenly, Sir," she said in a polished English accent.

Wesker remained silent as the computer attempted conversation. "How quickly can you begin processing tests A3 through L7?" he asked.

"Hmmm…" she pondered, "I'd say in about nine to eleven hours, Sir. A good bit of my processing power is being used to evaluate Miss Wong in the medical wing, as well as assisting Mr. Kennedy in the field."

Wesker paused in his work and glanced upwards towards one of the cameras on the wall. "That must be some pretty significant processing going on, Blue. What's going on in there?"

"Miss Wong appears to have two bullet wounds and smoke damage to her lungs. Our medical team is attempting surgery as we speak. "

Wesker set the vial down in a holder and rubbed his eyes. Now that the computer mentioned it, Ada _had ,_ been hit by a bullet, but he didn't think she had breathed in enough smoke for her to need so much attention. "Keep an eye on her. If she gets worse, please notify me immediately."

"Of course, Sir. I will begin running your analyses as soon as you enter them into the testing chamber."

Wesker motioned for one of his scientists to take over the extraction process. He found that he was too upset over too many things to focus at the moment. Between Ada needing help, the testing taking hours longer than he had expected, as well as the disappearance of Nora was frustrating. He was getting pulled in too many directions at once. Albert slowly rubbed his temples and took a deep breath. Becoming erratic would not help matters. Ada would need him now more than ever. Wesker may not have been able to save Nora, but he would be damned if he lost Ada as well. Besides, once Ada woke up, she would want to know where Nora was. He needed to make a call to the BSAA to see if they had any leads on the matter. To his dismay, they did not. However, the agency did inform him that they would be sending over Chris Redfield as soon as they could. As if Wesker wanted another headache to add to his list.

Albert watched as his lead scientist began to quickly load the vials into the chamber and punch in her access code to get the process started. "Sir, we can view a partial analyses in a few hours. It won't tell us everything, but I think the sample you gave us is contaminated." She paused to gauge his expression. Without getting one, she continued, "I have Damon looking at a sample under the microscope right now. There appears to be T-cells in the blood."

The woman walked over to a computer on the wall and typed in a few codes before opening up a file. After clicking on it, one of the whiteboards became an interactive screen. On it, one could see everything that Damon was looking at. The doctor was right. There did appear to be quite a few T-cells in the sample.

"It won't be that big of an issue. Obviously anything T-cell related is mine. We can do a couple of cross-sections and fill in the structure ourself if need be."

She nodded in understanding. "Very good, Dr. Wesker. We will notify you when everything is complete. I don't mean to overstep my grounds, but have you thought of going to the infirmary as well? You look as if it could do you some good."

Wesker sighed and pushed his hair away from his forehead. She was right. Besides a check-up, a hot shower and rest were in order. He gathered that he if timed things appropriately, he would be ready to go by the time Leon and the rest of his crew showed up. He also needed to make sure Ada was okay. Albert stood up and took his leave of the lab. He travelled down a few hallways before taking an elevator to the hospital wing. There wasn't as much hustle and bustle as he expected. The nurse who was sitting at the front desk stood up quickly upon seeing Wesker. "Sir! Blue said you would be arriving shortly. I've gathered some of Miss Wong's charts for your viewing-"

"That won't be necessary. I'm sure you all have it under control, no?" he asked as he walked towards her. "Is she in recovery? I would like to see her."

The nurse sat back down and checked her computer's records. "Um… yes! She was entered in not too long ago. Dr. Hubbard has been put in charge of her care. She isn't conscious, and she isn't expected to wake up for quite some time. Do you still want to see her?"

Wesker nodded. "Indeed. Blue said she was in critical care earlier. I just want to see the results with my own eyes."

The nurse nodded quickly in understanding. She stood again and led Albert down the corridor. After making a left turn into the recovery sector, she led him a few rooms down to Ada's. She was placed in one of the nicer rooms. Wesker was thankful that he didn't have to give such instructions to the medical staff. It would have been troublesome to get her moved in her state.

Albert slowly walked over to Ada. How many times had he done this before? How many times had he seen in her such a state? Unconscious and lying in a hospital bed? If he was being honest, more times than he would like to admit. Ada had oxygen tubes on her face, bandages on her arms, and bandage over her left collarbone. He rested his hands on the guardrail of the bed, leaning forward to get a better look at her.

"What happened to her collar area?" he asked curiously.

"Dr. Hubbard found some burns there. They cleaned and bandaged the area the best they could. It wasn't terrible, and her file says it should heal with little to no scarring."

Wesker gave a huff as he ran his hands through his hair. "Can you give me a moment alone, please?

The nurse agreed, letting Wesker know she would return to her station if he needed her. Once the door to the room was shut, he sat down in the chair next to Ada's bed. He stared at her in awe. Albert wasn't sure if he had seen anyone sleep as peacefully as Ada did in such a state. It was aggravating to be in such a position. On one hand, he still needed to find the BOW. On the other hand, he needed to get Nora's body back. He was positive he couldn't get one without the other. There was no amount of talking, bargaining, or arguing that could be done with Ada to get her to agree to anything else.

As he sat with his head in his hands, his watch began to beep. Wesker turned the timer off and his stomach dropped. Nora… he had set an alarm as a reminder that he would read to Nora. The alarm was one more small reminder of the atrocity that had occurred just a few hours before. Wesker stood up and brushed Ada's hair out of her face as she slept. The sounds of monitors beeping were the only company he had. Albert hesitated, but eventually leaned over and kissed Ada on her forehead. He gently reached for her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. He felt like he needed to say something- anything at all- but the right words weren't coming to mind.

Albert pulled away and quietly left the room. He didn't address the nurse on his way out. His curt attitude had set the medical staff on edge. Rumors quickly spread from the medical wing to the other floors about the mood Wesker was in. The rest would have to be on their best behavior if they wanted to stay alive. Wesker traveled to his office near the top floor of the building and entered his apartment. It wasn't as luxurious as some of his other ones, but he rarely traveled to Vermont on business. He stepped inside the apartment and headed straight towards the master bathroom. What was left of daylight was shining through the large living room windows. Wesker had no care to give as he undressed on the way to the bathroom. His shirt, pants, and boxers quickly made their way to the hardwood floor, with no future plan of picking them up.

He turned the shower handle to the hottest setting, giving the water a minute to heat up before stepping in. At first, the water burned. His skin quickly turned dark red as it adjusted to the heat. The water around his feet turned pink from the blood washing off of his hair and body. Albert reached for his honey-scented shampoo and poured a generous amount in his hand. He massaged the soap into his scalp, making sure to breathe in the heavenly scents to calm him. Afterwards, he put conditioner in his hair and let it sit as he scrubbed his body down with soap. He needed to look as put together as possible once everyone else showed up.

Wesker quickly finished cleaning himself and hopped out of the shower. He didn't spend much time drying himself off, as he was more interested in the comfort of his bed. Leaving his towel and a puddle of water on the bathroom floor, Albert headed towards his bedroom. He slipped on a fresh pair of boxer briefs before climbing on his bed. He slowly sunk into the mattress and pushed his worried mind aside. He would need all the sleep he could get to get him through what was to come.


	6. From the Beginning

There was a great deal of tension in the air as the three men stared at each other. Regardless of what the other two thought, they were all on the same side for once. Machines hummed and clicked around them, and a hologram of Blue stood near her creator.

"I think we should all take a seat. There is no need for these feelings of hostility," Blue chimed.

Wordlessly, Wesker took a seat at the nearby bar. His researchers were still working on putting together Nora's DNA chain, and making little progress at that. Leon took a deep breath before taking a seat himself. Chris refused to sit. He hated the politics involved in the situation. The whole thing felt wrong. Furthermore, he hated how comfortable Leon seemed to be compared to himself. Did he not realize what was at stake?

"I need you to tell us everything, from the beginning… before I arrived. I'm going to record you for accuracy. The more information you can give, the better," Leon said. He pulled a recording device from his pocket and set it on the table. "Whenever you're ready."

 _24 hours earlier_

It had started to snow again, to Wesker's dismay. He and Ada would need to start preparing for their departure to collect the BOW she had promised him. It would be difficult to get a plane to this part of the country with all of the bad weather preparing to come. While two snow days were something he could handle, Wesker wasn't sure that he wanted a third. Nora was becoming attached to him, even he could see that. The disappointment was going to hit the little girl hard, and Ada was surely going to blame him for it. On the other hand, it was possible that she would be grateful for it. He wasn't sure if Ada approved of her daughter's curiosity in him.

He was situated on one of the couches in the living room, a fire burning in the marble fireplace as he typed on his computer. He had just finished his daily report to Leon. It was brief, as they couldn't go anywhere or do much given the amount of snow they were getting. He decided he should probably make a call regarding their upcoming travels. Wesker re-read his report one last time before sending it off. He closed his laptop and set it on the couch beside him. He closed his eyes and listened to the crackling of the fireplace. Ada wasn't far away. Together, she and her mother were cooking dinner for everyone. Nora wanted breakfast for dinner. Wesker didn't see the nutritional value in that, but it wasn't his place to argue.

He felt the couch cushion beside him dip from the weight of someone. He opened one eye to see Nora looking at him expectantly. He shut his eye again and tried to ignore her. Nora tugged on the sleeve of his black turtleneck. He clenched his jaw in annoyance.

"Not now, Nora. I'm busy right now."

"But Albert… you're just sitting there. You said you would read with me tonight. It's your last night here with mommy, isn't? You _promised_!"

Wesker sighed and opened his eyes. He hated it when she was right. He really needed to stop making promises that he didn't want to keep. Wesker looked at his watch in thought. "I'll tell you what, how about I read to you before bed?"

"Set an alarm for eleven then! Mommy said I can stay up extra late so I can spend more time with her." Nora bit her lip in hesitation. "Do you guys really have to go tomorrow? I know you keep saying you have to, but maybe you can just not?"

Wesker set his watch for eleven. He shook his head in exasperation. "I suppose if wear your pajamas inside out, put a cold spoon under your pillow, and do a snow dance, then the weather will be too bad for flying. Otherwise, you can count on us leaving, Nora. Just like I keep making promises to you, your mother made a promise to me. The world will be a lot safer once she comes back."

"You're going after a monster, aren't you?" she asked, wide-eyed and interested. Without getting permission, she crawled into Wesker's lap expectantly. "Tell me a story about the monsters you've met."

Wesker looked to his left and right. Why was Nora so difficult to control? Hopefully dinner would be done soon so they could stop this nonsense. "What do you know about monsters?" he asked.

"I know that zombies are real. I know about… viruses and germs. I know that people make monsters because they want lots and lots of money and power. But.. nobody stops to think about the monster."

"What do you mean?" Wesker asked curiously. "They're just monsters. What's there to think about?"

"I mean, a lot of monsters were once people, right? What if, deep down, they're still there? Waiting to come out, but they can't do it on their own? Who wants to be a monster?" she replied.

Wesker chuckled softly. He placed his shades on the couch beside him, showing off his golden-colored eyes. "I suppose you could say that _I_ wanted to be a monster, Nora."

The little girl scrunched up her face. "Okay, so you're super fast and super strong. So what? Do you think you're a monster because of that?"

"I suppose it takes more than that to be a monster, doesn't it? You know, Nora, I've done a lot of bad things to a lot of good people."

"Well that's no good, is it? But you've saved people too. You've saved mommy before, right? That makes you a better person all by itself."

Wesker was fascinated with Nora's logic. He couldn't think of any children her age that would be able to reason in such a manner. Not once during the trip did Nora act afraid of him. Regardless of his abilities, his thoughts, and his sins… Nora desperately wanted to label him as _human_. Someone who was just as deserving as anyone else. He gently pushed her black bangs out of her blue eyes. He was still determined to find out who her father was. As soon as they could leave, he would have the cotton swab of her DNA analyzed. He had his suspicions, but no clear-cut answers. He looked away from Nora to see Ada stroll into the living room with a grin on her face. It still threw him off to see Ada so cheery.

"Dinner is almost ready, I promise. Nora, do you want to go change into your pajamas since we're in for the night? It looks comfier than those tights and dress." Nora nodded her head and quickly hopped off of Wesker. She took off upstairs towards her room, making up a song about having bacon for dinner. Ada shook her head at the silliness her daughter was displaying. "Sorry I couldn't rescue you sooner. Watching you interact with Nora is just too funny."

Wesker made sure Ada could see his eyes roll before putting his shades back on. "How funny, indeed. Are you packed already? We can't afford any more delays."

The smile fell from Ada's face. So he wanted to get serious again, did he? It had to be a front for something. Ada crossed her arms. It was the easiest physical barrier she could place between them. "There won't be. We'll get out just fine. Do you have your equipment ready? We won't have time for any stops unless you want the BOW to move."

Wesker stood up and walked over to the fireplace. The flames continued to lick the logs just as they had all afternoon. "Everything on my end is in order. I do hope you understand that there will be consequences if you don't deliver, though. Consequences that are out of my control."

Ada moved to stand next to Albert in front of the fire. Was that his only worry? That she would lead him astray? An acceptable fear to have. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You'll get the BOW, Albert. I just… I just don't think you're ready for something like that yet."

He gave her a cold look. Ada visibly shivered despite being so close to the fire. "What does _that_ mean, Ada? You said it was a non-hostile BOW. What do I have to be ready for?" Ada opened her mouth and quickly closed it. She couldn't bring herself to explain, and luckily, she didn't have to.

"Mommy! I need help!" Nora cried from the bottom of the staircase. The two adults quickly turned towards the child. Nora stood in a pair of inside-out pajamas and was holding her face. At first, Wesker was confused as to what the issue was. A quick sniff told him that there was blood. Nora carefully removed her hands from her face to reveal a bloody nose.

Ada gave a sigh of relief. "Must be the air, with it being so dry, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner."

"Come on Nora, let me teach you a trick," Wesker said as he walked over to her. Ada was surprised at the initiative. "My sister taught me this when we were your age. It never fails." Wesker led her back upstairs to the closest bathroom. He set Nora on the sink counter before grabbing a handful of tissues. He carefully doubled them up and then pinched her nose shut. "Now," he began, "Don't ever tilt your head back. You don't want the blood going down your throat."

Wesker held her there for a few minutes. He threw out the first tissues he had used before grabbing some fresh ones. He made Nora pinch her nose this time as they waited for the bleeding to stop. "Your sister taught you this?" she asked, her voice sounding silly with her nose pinched.

Wesker gave a small smile and nodded. "Indeed. We were playing once, and I ran straight into a pole. Can you believe that? She taught me to not tilt my head back when you get a bloody nose."

Nora laughed at his story. It _did_ seem rather silly, especially for someone like Wesker. It was hard to imagine him as a child, let alone running into a pole. Wesker had Nora pull the tissue away before checking her nostrils. There didn't seem to be any more blood coming out. "Very nice. Now, why don't you take some soap and wash that blood off your hands and face, then we can-" He stopped, hearing a loud crash and what sounded like gunshots. "I'll be right back. Don't leave this spot, Nora!" Without thinking, Wesker pocketed the bloody tissue and quickly made his way downstairs.

Cold wind from outside made its way inside of the living room through a broken window. Ada was standing with her back to Wesker. She wasn't moving a muscle. As he approached her, he could see that she was slightly shaking. Whether from the cold or from something else, he wasn't sure. "Ada…" he said slowly, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. Ada tensed up, grabbing his hand with one of her blood-covered ones. Was that _her_ blood?

"It's not mine," she said quickly, as if reading his mind, "We aren't safe here. We need to get Nora and go."

"And what about your mother?" he asked.

Ada merely shook her head as she wiped her bloody hands on her jeans. "I don't want to talk about it."

Before he could fully process Ada's response, the front door was kicked open. Wesker could feel the vibrations from several people running into the room. Orders were being yelled, men dressed in garb that he didn't recognize were aiming guns at them. The Connections. They were bolder than Wesker had given them credit for. Ada and Wesker put their hands up as they were surrounded by half a dozen men. One of them took a step closer to Ada than the rest. "Where is the BOW?" he demanded. Ada remained silent. Another person cocked their rifle and aimed at her head. " _Now_ , bitch. Where's the BOW?"

Ada kept her jaw clenched. Tired of the silence, the agent that cocked his gun went to shoot her. At the last second, Wesker pushed the agent's barrel away. The shot buried itself into another operative. The man dropped instantly, and the fight ensued. Ada dropped to the ground and used a leg to sweep one person off his feet. Albert kicked back the agent that shot. He forcefully hit the wall behind him, stunning him for a moment. Wesker used the second to his advantage. The tyrant grabbed the agent's face mask and forcefully shoved his head against the wall, crushing his skull.

Their ears were filled with the sound of gunshots. _Bang, bang!_ Dodge. Punch. Sweep. It was exhausting given the number of enemies. Ada scooped up a gun from one of the dead men at her feet. She unloaded four bullets into the closest enemy before checking magazine. Three left. Every shot needed to count until she could get ammo and reload. Already, more operatives were crashing through the windows, guns blazing. More recruits were running into the living room, yelling orders in a language that Ada didn't understand. She could feel her adrenaline surging again. Despite the rush, her arm and side began to ache. Had she been shot without her realizing it? Ada reloaded her pistol and began shooting back. The two kept their backs to each other. Just like in the past, they worked flawlessly as a team. When an enemy would get too close for a physical attack, Wesker would make sure to push Ada out of the way. He could handle the up-close damage. Ada was having a harder time keeping up due to her side wound.

When her pistol ran out of ammo, she threw it at the person coming at her. The momentary disorientation gave her enough time to perform a physical attack of her own. What she hadn't expected was the second operative that came up behind her. The agent had her tightly locked in a chokehold, and she was struggling to breathe. The agents seemed to just keep coming. It was becoming too much for just the two of them to handle. "Wesker!" she yelled.

Albert found himself to be busy with his own problems. Just like a Hydra, for every enemy he took down, two more seemed to appear. Bullets were ripping through him, his body was having difficulties keeping up with the repairs demanded of it. His attention was quickly drawn towards Ada, who was still struggling to escape her captor. He hurdled over the couch to help her. With a newfound strength, he ripped the man away from Ada, breaking the agent's arm in the process. He then threw the operative across the room. Wesker could hear the man's back break from the force of hitting the fireplace. What Wesker hadn't counted on was the man causing the fire spread to the carpet. Some of the wood had fallen out of the fireplace and rolled onto the nearby carpet.

While he wanted to put it out, there were more pressing matters at hand. He saw Nora standing at the top of the stairs, fear in her eyes as she witnessed the massacre below her. "Albert grab her!" Ada yelled at him. He had tried, or that's what he told himself. He _had_ made an effort to get to her, but there were just _too many damn people_. Someone else had spotted Nora too, most likely before Albert had. Even through the commotion, he could hear her soft, tiny gasp when the bullets pierced her body. Nora didn't even have time to react, as _one_ , _two_ , _three_ rounds entered her. He failed her. His ears were filled with Ada's screams. He had never felt such palpable pain come from her. Time moved slower as he witnessed Ada trying to push past him. She was running head first into two agents. They used the butt of their guns to knock her out. Another agent was climbing the stairs and collecting Nora's body. The fire that had started in the living room began to rage. It wasn't safe to stay there anymore.

 _Present_

"And you found us outside about an hour or so later," Wesker concluded. "I was able to put the distress call out using my watch, and we waited in the cold. The fire was too large for me to put out at that point. I had no choice but to let the place burn."

Leon rubbed his face with his hands. "Jesus Christ… I knew it was going to be bad but... We weren't even prepared. This attack came out of nowhere!"

"Hmph. What else can we expect from a bunch of criminals? If they're willing to kill the elderly and children without a second thought… God, it just makes me sick to think about it!" Chris slammed his fist on the table. "We can't let them get away with this."

Wesker narrowed his eyes at Redfield. "Obviously, Chris. However, we have one major issue: We don't know where they even _are_. We can pull maps and Intel all day long, but we've got no real leads. Had _someone_ not damaged some servers, we might have some usable data."

Chris clenched his jaw. "You sent me in that goddamn hole, Wesker. There wasn't a lot of time left, and I did what I had to do."

"Guys!" Leon barked, suddenly standing. "We can't have all of this internal fighting. This isn't going to solve our problem. We still have the issue of the BOW as well. Now, I want to get Nora's body back as much as the rest of you, but we're facing several crises at the moment."

Wesker rubbed his temples in aggravation. The BOW. Nora. Ada. The Connections. It was beginning to drive him crazy. The sound of Blue trying to get his attention made him snap. " _What_ Blue? I'm sure you can see that I'm dealing with something!"

"Sir, there seems to be an issue in the recovery wing. It seems Miss Wong has woken up… and she isn't happy," Blue informed. The AI pulled up a live security recording of Ada tipping over her nightstand and throwing random objects at one of the doctors. Wesker pressed a button on his watch that would allow him to talk to her. "Miss Wong, please calm yourself before I come restrain you myself."

"I'd like to see you try you son of a bitch!" she yelled at the camera. Wesker gave Leon a look of annoyance. "Do you want to deal with this, or shall I?"

Leon tried to remain professional. "Perhaps we should work together on this one…"


	7. Dust to Dust

Ada had reopened some of wounds during her assault of the medical staff. She was still fuming as Wesker cleaned the wounds and fixed her stitches. She sat on her bed in the medical wing with a scrunched face. It was the only way she would allow others to know that she was in pain as Albert finished patching her up. In the past, he had always been silent during his doctoring sessions. This time was not much different. The silence was beginning to get on her last nerve, and she could not deal with his stoicism a moment longer.

"Do you have any leads on Nora? Every minute we're here and not looking for her is a minute that they get farther away," Ada reminded him.

Wesker did not respond until he started to finish her last stitch. He methodically begant to put his tools in a case for the staff to sanitize later. "We have no leads. Leon and Chris are working hard to find your daughter, Ada. There isn't much we can do here, but we are trying. You have to trust me on this."

Ada gave a dissatisfied snort. "I trusted you to help keep her safe."

He briefly glanced at her, making sure to pull her last stitch just a little tighter as a reminder of her impertinence. "I did what I could, Ada… I definitely did not expect them to shoot her of all things." He finished tying her off and clipping off the excess string. It was a dumb thing for him to say, considering they had guns and had every intent to kill. However, it was the best he could come up with to defend himself. "And I know you're hurting despite the tough act. You'll just have to hold on until we get the BOW. Then we can find Nora."

"After everything that has happened, you're still going to put Nora second? Is this just a sick test to see where my loyalties lie?"

Wesker sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Ada. Believe me, I want to find her as badly as you do. However, we both answer to a higher power right now. Leon's crew has made it very clear that the BOW comes first while we attempt to locate Nora. As much as I hate the idea, it makes the most sense given the situation."

"You'll never get the BOW, Albert. You're all so goddamn undeserving it's unreal."

"I'd watch it if I were you…" he warned.

Ada tried to slide out of the bed despite her condition. Desperately, she hung onto the nightstand, then the wall, as she poorly tried to make it to the door. Wesker easily stopped her. How far did she honestly think she would get? "You can't leave. You aren't in any condition to be walking, let alone much else. Besides, even if you could leave, where would you go? You belong to us."

"Albert…" she said slowly as she tried to keep her cool. "I _do_ have places to go. You won't keep me here- not if I want to go. Now, if you don't mind, I need to find my daughter."

He was becoming aggravated with her. "Ada I already said that I would find her for you. Why can't you let me do that?"

"Because you'll take her away from me, Albert. That's why. You'll all make such a big effort to get her back, but you're only doing it for yourself…" Ada was clearly stressed. She was beginning to not make sense. He couldn't help but pity her. Would he be just as broken if it were Jake? Probably not, but perhaps in another life he could have been.

He pulled Ada close and held her in his arms. Ada was practically dead weight in Albert's arms as she could barely support herself physically or emotionally. Wesker stroked her hair in silence. The act didn't feel as awkward as it should have. "Shhh… Ada you're being irrational. Why don't you try and get some sleep. It's too soon for you to be making any sort of effort."

She tightly gripped his sweater as if she was holding on for life. "Did you ever love me?" she suddenly asked. He couldn't hide his shock. "Ada… I- this isn't appropriate."

"Answer the _damn question_ Albert," she demanded. "Did you love me all those years ago? Before you left… before Spain… did you mean those things?"

Albert hadn't realized he was holding his breath until he tried to speak. Where were the words? Should he lie? Surely she would know. "I… loved the idea of you," he said slowly. Was it possible to stab yourself in the back? Wesker believed he had just found his answer. "I loved our time together. We had similar goals, interests… or so I believed. But things got in the way, _you_ got in the way, and in the end I couldn't have that. Going our separate ways was one of the hardest and most natural things at the same time. I'm sorry if my leaving hurt you, but you can't deny that you would have tried to hurt me first."

There would never be a look of disappointment that matched Ada's so well. "The idea of me…" she echoed. "That's so you, Albert. Bitter, closed-off, and a liar till the end. Is it so hard for you to tell me the truth? Even when we're alone?"

"That was the truth Ada. Surely if you could go back and do it all over again knowing what you know now-"

"I'd do it again," she interrupted. "I would take every moment, every word, every glance, again."

Why did she have to keep pressing this? What could Ada possibly gain by hearing him say it? There wasn't a future for them all those years ago, and there certainly wasn't one now. Why was she so intent on hurting herself more? She'd lost so much, did she think she could gain something back with him? "Ada…" he sighed as he began to nudge her towards the bed, "If this is your way of grieving, fine. But you need to let this go. I meant what I said."

Ada limped back towards her bed. Not to be defeated so easily, she pried one last time. "I'm not grieving, Albert. I just need to know if I'm making the right decision."

"What decision would that be?" he asked. Wesker carefully lifted her legs onto the bed before tucking her under some blankets.

"I wanted to reach out to Nora's father. I was thinking that he might be able to help," she said softly.

Albert sat on the edge of the bed and forced Ada to look at him. "Were you afraid that my feelings for you would get in the way, Ada? Surely you know that I wouldn't do such a thing. You were mine once, but don't let the weight of that ever hold you back."

Ada's eyes flickered downwards as she tried to hide the silent tears that began to spill. She gave a small smile and attempted to wipe them away. "I was so afraid when I saw you come into that interrogation room. You'll always be the ghost that I can't get away from. You can say that you'll let me live, but you just can't, can you? You may not love me, but you'll always be watching me and in a weird way, that's almost the same thing for you."

Albert didn't dignify her with a response. He leaned in a quietly kissed her forehead. Her body was tense and exhaustion would quickly take her once again. Sleep would at least grant her the peace and quiet she deserved from him. As he left the room, he felt heavy with the guilt of his mistake. Was it really so hard to tell her that he had thought about her every day they were apart? Once again, he would have to live with the consequences of his actions.

* * *

AN:

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I've posted a chapter! It's not much, but please know that I've been suuuuper busy lately. I started my master's this June and I've been working full time while going to school. I'll try and start posting again, although they chapters may be a little shorter! I have every intention of finishing this story though! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are as excited as I am for the next one!


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